Abuse from car drivers

[Greenfieldsandpaddocks]

Twice is as many days I have received abuse for being a woman.

Yesterday, tail gated by 5 huge burly blokes in fiesta -tail gated right on the end of my bumper. I pulled over to let them pass. Bloke shouted at me 'women shouldn't be drivers too slow' as he drove past (2 kids in the car).

Today's was caught on dash cam.2 blokes in a huge white van. Forced me to brake hard as they came around the corners in a huge white van on the WRONG side of the road to overtake a parked car. This time I have video and have taken photos. Have got the reg and I beeped my horn as he forced me to brake as he came round the corner.
He then two fingered me and called me a 'stupid woman'. I have pictures of this.

I was going slowly, with the dash cam on.
IF I report to the police -I'm pretty sure they won't do anything. Anyone else getting stuff like this. I could post them in a local FB group, but even then what happens? I don't think I've had abuse from a woman driver ever (I'm sure it happens) but it is this male entitlement that they seemingly own the roads. Anyone else feel like this?

Sorry correction -I've just played the video back he called me a stupid cow.

I was screamed at by a horribly aggressive man a few months ago. It was awful. He was in the wrong, I flung my hands up in exasperation (no rude gesture though) and he screamed through his open window at me. It shook teen dd and me.

He drove off and I pointed out to dd that if he is like that with us, can she imagine what he is like to his family. His wife looked mortified.

No advice but yes, I believe women are abused by men when driving.

We got tailgated and abused by a bloke last week, I had teenage DD in the car. I wasn't driving slowly (slightly over the speed limit) but he obviously didn't think I should have been there at all. I got gesticulating, pulling alongside me, and trying to shout something. He then cut me up. Dangerous. I didn't react at all. DD got a pic of the car, but like you I didn't think the police would do anything.

IF I report to the police -I'm pretty sure they won't do anything.

Yes they will. Have you ever watched CyclingMikey on YouTube ?

I was beeped at on a mini roundabout last week then followed by the man into Lidl car park. He crossed the car park and knocked on my window. When I opened the door he said 'Did you realise you went ahead of me at the roundabout?' I shouted at him that he wasn't even moving at the roundabout and doing a Mexican standoff ffs and don't beep at me again! Then I slammed the door in his face.

He looked absolutely shocked that a young woman would dare speak back to him.

I think it would be entirely reasonable to report the incident from today that you have dashcam footage for via the police non-emergency crime reporting website. You have video evidence of possible careless driving, you know the car reg and have photos of the people involved. As far as I can see, you can't lose anything by reporting it.

The incident yesterday is as wrong, but without any dash cam footage it's going to be near impossible to investigate.

These men are wrong on every level. Even if you were driving too slowly (not at all suggesting you were), it is dangerous to tailgate and be aggressive/abusive to the other driver. I think men who do this have never been sanctioned for their aggressive outbursts and/or are used to the women and other people around them being scared into submission.

I've had it happen a couple of times in the last few years, much more now I'm driving a "family" car.
One man was undertaking and overtaking me aggressively and tried to make me have an accident, all because I wouldn't go over 80 on a two lane motorway. It took less than a minute for me to get to where I could move in so he could get past me, and then he spent five minutes trying to cause a crash so can't have been in that much of a rush. That was about a month ago. I took his number plate but the Police don't care.

@Gottalife

IF I report to the police -I'm pretty sure they won't do anything.

Yes they will. Have you ever watched CyclingMikey on YouTube ?

Also shame them. Put the video on YouTube.

I didn't let a guy in who was driving in the bus lane and when I stopped at some lights, he got out of his car, hammered on my window and screamed misogynist abuse at me. My child was sitting in the passenger seat, clearly visible.

I reported by email to the police and never got a response.

I wish we had decent traffic police here. I was tailgated by aggressive men all the way through a village with a 20 speed limit. Very windy road, farm vehicles, families out and about. They cut in front of me as soon as we got to a slightly wider part of the road, swearing and beeping. No need for it at all. Yes it is always men.

Lastsummer similar experiece. I had pulled out, there was a car but it was up the hill. I drove into my driveway, hadn't noticed he had pulled in but he got out of his car and started to tell me off. I absolutely blew a gasket and after my tirade, I told him to f*ck off and didn't he have anything better to do. My brother was coming out the door to help with the shopping and was laughing his head off saying 'he picked the wrong one there' Still amuses us.

They are stupid men

I got aggressively beeped at for no discernable reason by some man wanting to go super fast instead of waiting for me to slow down to turn off at a junction.
Thing is I then assume there's something urgent I'm not aware of so carefully pull over but he just sped past. Quiet road and I even checked my dashcam to see if there was anything I'd missed - no, just a bloke being an utter twat, what a surprise.

I’ve had the opposite - a bloke going too slowly in front of me. (20 in a 40 zone). I came up behind him and flashed him, and the bugger slowed to a crawl. Then when I reached a straight bit of road and pulled out to overtake him, the little shit accelerated to match speeds for ages so I couldn’t get back in - with eventually an oncoming motorbike approaching!
I certainly wasn’t going to hit an innocent biker, so I cut the bastard up and pulled in almost of top of him. We finally reached the dual carriageway and the shite zoomed off, thinking he’d won. Until I went past him at 105mph and two fingered him.
Even better - a week later he turned up as a patient on my operating list! He turned bright red and was muttering under his breath as I prepared to anaesthetise him. I breezily told him he would “soon be asleep, as I do everything quickly - including driving!” My nurse was puzzled, and fell about laughing when I explained, after he was unconscious.
Some men are just misogynist shits - they can’t bear to be outdriven or overtaken by a woman.

I drive a car in a girly colour and shape(it's second hand). I get absolute awful treatment by men on the road.
But the beat one was when DH, who is insured on my car, was driving (who has long hair ) driver got out, all aggressive to have a go, got to window and kind of shrivelled up, mumbled what should have been done and got back in his car.
DH is not even a big threatening guy but being male was enough to defuse the bile.

@Clymene

I didn't let a guy in who was driving in the bus lane and when I stopped at some lights, he got out of his car, hammered on my window and screamed misogynist abuse at me. My child was sitting in the passenger seat, clearly visible.

I reported by email to the police and never got a response.

And this is how it goes. Reported by a woman they just don't care.

Cycling Mikey -great

@Babdoc

I’ve had the opposite - a bloke going too slowly in front of me. (20 in a 40 zone). I came up behind him and flashed him, and the bugger slowed to a crawl. Then when I reached a straight bit of road and pulled out to overtake him, the little shit accelerated to match speeds for ages so I couldn’t get back in - with eventually an oncoming motorbike approaching! I certainly wasn’t going to hit an innocent biker, so I cut the bastard up and pulled in almost of top of him. We finally reached the dual carriageway and the shite zoomed off, thinking he’d won. Until I went past him at 105mph and two fingered him. Even better - a week later he turned up as a patient on my operating list! He turned bright red and was muttering under his breath as I prepared to anaesthetise him. I breezily told him he would “soon be asleep, as I do everything quickly - including driving!” My nurse was puzzled, and fell about laughing when I explained, after he was unconscious. Some men are just misogynist shits - they can’t bear to be outdriven or overtaken by a woman.

Sorry but this sounds pretty awful and dangerous behaviour from both parties. Yes, it is frustrating when someone is driving more slowly than seems necessary, but so do bikes, farm vehicles etc and you just have to be patient and wait to overtake safely. I would not like to be flashed from a car in those circumstances, it would feel aggressive.

Driving at 105mph is utterly reckless and a criminal offence, surely?

Driving too slowly without consideration of other drivers is an offence - punishable by a 3 to 9 point penalty in the UK, cheeseismydownfall. The police can pull you over for it - try doing 20mph on a motorway!
As a doctor, I took a dim view of drivers trying to obstruct me getting to the hospital. Fortunately I’m now retired and don’t drive on emergency call out any more.
I overtook the particular little shit in question on an empty, straight dual carriageway, so there was zero risk to him or other road users.
Cyclists and farm vehicles can’t help going slowly and will often find a place to tuck in and let you pass safely - performance cars deliberately obstructing following traffic, not so much.
I may add, that in 40 years of driving, including high speed call outs, I have never had or caused an accident.

I've had it happen a couple of times in the last few years, much more now I'm driving a "family" car.

I think it's worse since I drove a smaller car (though I don't drive it at any different speed to my bigger one). I guess it's just anything that says "woman".

My husband had a Fiat 500 courtesy car for a day. He was horrified at how differently he was treated. Usually he's in a big SUV.

Probably that then! My other cars were neutral or stereotypically "masculine".
I was given a big old "old man" car by MIL and no-one messed with me in that. Probably one of the reasons I loved it so much.

Not abuse, but since frequenting FWR I have noticed more things. One thing is how some male drivers seem to think they should take priority, no matter the situation. A little while back, I was driving up a hill and a van was coming down the hill, where there were cars parked on his side but not on mine and only room for one us to get through, he just carried on driving, forcing me to stop. I was caught on the hop, next time I'll wait until they reverse!
I've also seen men stop, and get out their vehicles, where they are causing an obstruction, even though there is nearby space where they wouldn't be causing an obstruction, just because it is more convenient to them, even though it would take them less than a minute, sometimes even only a few seconds!

Highame that's fantastic!! Well done!! Loathe these stupid men who think they can lecture women on driving...my husband thought it was because I was driving his fancy Audi and he couldn't stand to see a young woman in a new, expensive car - I wondered about that as i never have any issues when I drive my beat up, nattered, 12 year old Vauxhall.

I find it is the vehicle you drive.
If I go out in dh’s hatchback people cut you up and tailgate you.

I normally drive a big van. No one dare say anything as my van is bigger than their car.
No one dares try to cut me up because they can see they would come off worse.

I drove (when I had a car) a battered dented old thing. No-one argued with me in their pristine BMW's as they could see what happened lol

@Babdoc
You sound more dangerous than he does, yes driving slowly can be dangerous, and the police would pull you over if it was causing an obstruction, but 105mph is reckless, You sound like a right arse on the road.